Wyoming’s Biggest Star Trek Fans Celebrate 50th Anniversary

This week marks the 50th anniversary of the iconic television and movie series Star Trek. Among the millions of fans celebrating across the world, there's a group of die-hard Trekkies here in the Cowboy State who call themselves USS Wyoming.

The local chapter is part of the Starfleet Command's Seventh Fleet, a world-wide Star Trek fan club. Based in Cheyenne and Laramie, they have a commanding officer, and executive officer, a Facebook page, an official website, and they even produce a newsletter called the Jackalope Express.

The club began years ago as the USS Devil's Tower and later reformed as the USS Wyoming, which was granted official chapter status within the Seventh Fleet.

Producers for the 1979 film chose Minerva Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park as the setting for the mythical planet of Vulcan only after running out of money to film at their initial location, which was located in Turkey.

The Cowboy State was also mentioned in in the Star Trek: Voyager series, when the character Tuvok served on the Mediterranean-class Federation ship, the USS Wyoming.

George Takei, who played Sulu in the original television series, recently visited Wyoming and posted a video of his trip to the former Heart Mountain Japanese internment camp online.